


Weathering With You

by Leaf0ntheWind



Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23001694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leaf0ntheWind/pseuds/Leaf0ntheWind
Summary: "No, please no-""Scho", then more desperately "Will, please".Will's heart drops at the fear lacing Tom's words and he pulls himself towards the other boy, only to hesitate before his hand touches his shoulder. Closer now, he can make out Tom's face in the low light, the sweat pouring down his forehead and his contorted features, his eyes screwed tight in fear, wrinkles marring the usually smooth skin between his eyebrows.
Relationships: Tom Blake & William Schofield, Tom Blake/William Schofield
Comments: 7
Kudos: 89





	Weathering With You

Will wakes suddenly, eyes flickering in the darkness of the bedroom, trying to orientate himself. As his consciousness returns to him, he's not sure what has awoken him, his sleep hazed mind musing that for once his rest had been relatively peaceful. He's quite sure he hasn't been thrown from the claws of a nightmare, a fact he confirms through the feel of his steadily beating heart, hand resting against his chest.

Awareness comes to him sluggishly, the black of the room making it difficult to clear his senses and gain his bearings. Distantly, he thinks perhaps the rain lashing against the window pane has startled him from sleep, or more likely the crashes of thunder accompanying the raging storm outside. It's not until he hears the slight murmur to his left he notices the whole mattress is trembling and, quickly turning his head, he realises the disturbance has come from the shaking figure clinging to the opposite side of the bed; _Blake_.

In the poor light, he can only distinguish the dark outline of Tom, lying on his side facing the other direction, his shoulders taut with tension. Will watches as he shifts, rolling onto his back and sprawling, allowing Will to see the gentle thrashing of the younger boy, surely trapped in some hellish nightmare. Suddenly more alert, Will inches forward, straining his ears to hear the soft cries slipping past Tom's slightly parted lips.

"No, please no-"

"Scho", then more desperately "Will,  _ please _ ". 

Will's heart drops at the fear lacing Tom's words and he pulls himself towards the other boy, only to hesitate before his hand touches his shoulder. Closer now, he can make out Tom's face in the low light, the sweat pouring down his forehead and his contorted features, his eyes screwed tight in fear, wrinkles marring the usually smooth skin between his eyebrows. 

He stills, unsure if he should wake Tom, in the back of his mind he recalls some old advice that you should never wake a- _what_? A sleepwalker, perhaps? Will remains motionless,  hand hovering above Tom, trying to clear the last fog of sleep from his head and focus on the trembling boy below him. 

Vaguely he considers that Tom might be so deep in the hellish dreamscape of his mind, he might lash out upon waking, hurting Will or himself in the process. He's in the midst of weighing up his options as a loud sob rips through the air and Will's startled into action - he can't bear to listen to the broken cries any longer, not when his he can feel his heart cracking with each new desperate sound. 

Cautiously, but determined, he lays his hand on Blake's shoulder, damp with sweat, and gives it a gentle shake. Reluctantly, he forces himself to apply more vigour to his actions when Tom shows no sign of stirring, adding his own soft encouragement into the quiet fray of noise.

"Tom, wake up. Tom. It's only a dream." 

Tom makes a keening sound, his features tightening impossibly further, his mouth opening and allowing harsh gasps to fill the air.

Distressed, Will shakes him harder, raising his voice in a desperate attempt to make it stop.

"Wake up, Tom. Wake up. Come back to me, please". 

Blake's eyes snap open as he jerks upright, his breaths coming out small gasps as his chest continues to heave with effort. Will draws back and sits on his heels, watching as Tom tries to ground himself, unsure if his touch is welcome.

Lightning illuminates the room and Will can see the sheer terror in Tom's eyes as they flick from one end of the room to the other, the younger boy clearly still lost in whichever nightmare had gripped his mind, struggling to reach an awareness in his waking. 

"Tom", Will says softly, holding up his hands in quiet surrender as he tries to get Tom to focus his beautiful blue eyes, pale in the dim light, on his own.

"It's alright, you're safe. We made it back and we're sitting in the bedroom of our home. You hear me, Tom?  _ Our home _ . We're out of that God awful place. Come back to me, Tom. I'm here, it's alright." Will continues his gentle mantra until Tom's eyes finally begin clear of their sleep induced haze.

"Will?" 

"Yes, I'm here. It's okay."

Tom lets out a slow breath and tentatively crawls forward into Will's waiting arms, tucking his head under Will's chin, pressing himself impossibly closer. Will allows himself to bask in Tom's embrace, willing his own heart to stop hammering against his chest before carefully manoeuvring them so they're lying down, Will on his back with Tom lying flush at his side, half sprawled on top of Will, their legs tangled together.

\--

They lie quietly together for a few moments, Will's hand drawing circles on the small of Tom's back until the room is cast into a blinding flash of light, the answering thunder reverberating around the room, affirming their position within the centre of the storm.

Will feels Tom tense under his touch and pauses his movements, before resuming his ministrations and uttering a gentle question into the darkness, "Do you want to talk about it?" 

Tom shifts and he feels his face flush with embarrassment, silently weighing up his options. He know's Scho wouldn't push it if he didn't want to and honestly he feels a little foolish about the whole thing. Logically, he knows he shouldn't, he's only human after all and well- 

He's seen some shit. 

Anyone who's been through what Schofield and he have are bound to have a little lasting damage here and there and Tom know's that's nothing he should be ashamed of. Besides, this is Will asking him- Will, the love of his life and as far as Tom is concerned, his soul mate. Will would never make him feel small or ashamed; ever since they first met, Will has done nothing but lift Tom up with gentle encouragement and words of comfort, where the other men in his place would have called him soft and told him to suck it up...he knows he’s been so lucky to have someone like Will in his corner. 

Resolute, he tilts his head up slightly, startled when he meets Scho's concerned gaze looking down at him; having figured Will had probably fallen back asleep during his inner turmoil. Despite the darkness, Tom can still make out how Scho's eyes soften when he meets his gaze and the gentle smile gracing his lips, offering a small smile in return.

He looks away, taking a deep breath as he feels Will's arms tighten around him in reassurance.

"I always hated storms growing up," he starts, encouraged when he hears Scho hum in acknowledgement. "I was always too scared to fall asleep, and if I did- well I guess it always ended up much of the same way...I'd always have the most terrible nightmares, it didn't matter what they were about, I'd wake up in the middle of the storm, so terrified I couldn't move, it was bloody awful!"

He closes his eyes and breathes out slowly before continuing, "I guess it's something I've never grown out of, that fear... even in my sleep and- 

Well you know yourself, everything we saw out there, stuff of nightmares already, isn't it? Doesn't exactly take much to turn all that shit into nightmare fuel..." he trails off, unsure if he should continue.

"Where were you this time?", Scho's voice breaks the quiet, the thunder rumbling in the distance, finally withdrawing, moving swiftly onto its next conquest.

Blake's eyes open, unseeing, his voice quivering as he answers, "Back at the farmhouse."

He feels Will's sharp inhale of breath and the way his arms tighten around him, this time in desperation, pressing them closer,  _ closer _ ...as if he could fuse them into a single entity by sheer force of will, in his efforts to protect Tom from all the cruelty and suffering he might otherwise endure.

"I'm sorry," Tom says softly, pressing his head into the crook of Will's neck. Will's hand reaches up and tangles itself into Tom's sweat slicked curls, holding him close in an effort to comfort the younger boy and steady his own nerves, elevated at the mere mention of that fateful day. 

Blake shudders in his arms, crying softly, his tears dampening Will's neck and shoulder. Scho hushes him, whispering soothing words into his ear, trying in vain to stem the tears now flowing freely from Tom's eyes. They stay that way for hours, locked in their tight embrace, seeking comfort in one another, until Tom's tears are reduced to slight snuffling and blessedly, his breaths even out as he drifts into the realm of sleep.

Schofield holds him close, unmoving save for the tender caress of fingers against Tom's scalp, sparing a glance to the endless sky beyond their window, the first signs of dawn just starting to break, bringing an end to the long night they have endured. Unwilling to allow himself to return to the land of sleep so soon, too concerned with the boy in his arms, warm against his side, he closes his eyes and sends a silent prayer that Tom's rest is unburdened with horror.

Opening his eyes, he takes a moment more to relish in the beauty of the brightening sky, the colours of the daybreak mesmerizing him, bringing him both comfort and a beacon of hope. Will knows they have suffered greatly, and he is not so naive to think they won't endure much more before their lives are through, but as he returns his gaze to the sleeping by beside him, now illuminated in the soft glow of morning light, he allows himself to give into the pleasure of hope.

He knows what their future holds for them, he knows more darkness will follow - it will take hold of them unexpectedly and relentlessly in the effort to break their spirits, but one thing Will knows for certain, is that as long as Tom is by his side and he is by Tom's, together they will always find their way back into the light, a brighter and even more beautiful world opening up before them.

Thoughts now drifting as he hovers on the edge of sleep, Will finally gives into himself and at last joins Tom, seeking what rest he is able. As the early morning sunlight now pours through the window, his last waking thought is that there is nothing he would rather do, than chase away whatever demons threaten Thomas Blake and he know's undoubtedly, Tom will do the same for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the Makoto Shinkai film of the same name, no relevance in terms of plot but it's a beautiful watch. This is my first fic, so apologies for any and all mistakes! Pretty nervous to post this - please be gentle with me! I'm so soft for these bois.


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